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Chris Soules is ABC's new 'Bachelor'

Alicia Rancilio Associated Press

Updated:
08/27/2014 05:32:49 PM EDT

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This undated photo released by ABC, shows Chris Soules, the stylish farmer from Iowa, who will star in the 19th edition of ABC's romance reality series, "The Bachelor," which returns to ABC in January 2015. Soules, who came in third last season on "The Bachelorette," will look for love among 25 women vying for his heart. His selection was announced Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014, on "Good Morning America." (AP Photo/ABC, Matthew Putney)

Chris Soules, who came in third last season on "The Bachelorette," will look for love among 25 women vying for his heart. His selection was announced Wednesday on "Good Morning America."

The 32-year-old Iowa farmer said he was "humbled, flattered and grateful" to be selected.

"My focus is gonna be to make the girls that are on the show as comfortable as possible," he said.

"The Bachelor" features a single guy who goes on a series of dates to choose a potential bride. The last go-round with former pro soccer player Juan Pablo Galavis wasn't as popular as the network had hoped, and this time, ABC seemed to want to involve the fans in its decision for the upcoming season. For weeks, executive producer Mike Fleiss teased viewers on Twitter about who would become the next "Bachelor."

One of the names in the running was race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., the runner-up on Emily Maynard's season of "The Bachelorette."

Luyendyk was vocal about wanting the shot at televised love, often tweeting about it and pitching himself on various blogs. When he wasn't chosen, he wrote on Twitter, "I'm not the Bachelor, have fun on the farm people," essentially spoiling the announcement on "GMA."

The new season is expected to begin production next month and will begin airing in January.